Hey there! It’s been a while since I blogged a trip itinerary, and I am so freaking excited to share this London one with you!

We were able to go right before Christmas and it was oh-so-magical, and so many people asked me for all the details. So I’m sharing all the details of our family vacation to London during December 2023.  Keep reading to find out exactly what we did!

P.S. this blog post first made an appearance in my Happy Hour with Kelly emails! If you want to be the first to receive these fun emails and get updates on any KHP announcements, sign up for my email list here!

Dec 15 – Day 1

 We arrived at Heathrow at 12:30pm after an overnight flight from Houston, and rode the tube to Paddington Station. We actually bought our tube tickets at the airport. It was super easy on the machines!

From Paddington Station we walked over to our Airbnb around the corner on Westbourne. It was such an awesome location with lots of pretty townhomes; a really safe and clean area.

Once we got settled, we walked to the nearby grocery store, called Waitrose 

For dinner this first night we walked through Hyde Park over to 34 Mayfair. I actually made a reservation on Open Table a couple weeks ahead of time.

It was SUPER YUMMY, and so pretty all decorated for Christmas!  We had amazing fish, cocktails and steaks.

From there we cruised around the Regent Street/Bond Street area and looked at all the fabulous Christmas lights.  It’s truly magical!!  Scroll to the bottom to see the full walking tour map that we followed.

Dec 16 – Day 2

We had reservations in the morning for a Fat Tire Bike Tour, and Ubered over for our 10:30 start.

On the tour we biked to: Trafalgar Square, Buckingham & Kensington Palaces, much of Hyde Park, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The London Eye, and Wellington Arch

We had an awesomely fun tour guide and even got to see thousands of biking Santas all around the city raising awareness for some charity (we think)!

After that we came home and chilled/cleaned up and got ready to go meet friends in Notting Hill to go to their church at St Peters, followed by dinner at Cinquecento on Portobello Road.

Dec 17th – Day 3

We made breakfast at our flat and then took the tube to the Tower of London. We had the best time with Spike, our Beefeater tour guide, hearing all about the wild history and stories of the Tower. 100% recommend taking the free tours the Beefeaters offer while there.  It’s super fun.

While at the Tower, we saw the royal jewels, the amazing armory in the White Tower, and had hot chocolate!  When we left we walked out of the Tower to check out London Bridge, which was just outside.

Afterward, we took the tube to London Stadium and watched West Ham defeat the Wolves.  WHAT A FUN EXPERIENCE!!  

Things to note: concessions are only offered at half time and then they close. The store only opens after the game is over. Nose bleeds are still worth it – the crowd is so fun and totally invested!

That evening we took the tube back to Paddington to watch a movie and eat leftovers at our flat.

Dec 18 – Day 4

Joe and I woke up early and walked through Hyde Park to pick up our Sixt rental car at one of their hotel locations.

Then we drove back to the flat to pick up our luggage and the boys and check out. Make sure you pay for parking anywhere in London. They are CRAZY about that there! Then we got on the road to Oxfod and on the opposite side of the road than we are used to!

On the way we drove to Windsor Castle, but decided not to make the trip in. FOR SURE going to go the next time.  It looked amazing, but it was too much to make happen on this trip.

The people in Oxford are soooooo nice. VERY friendly. It’s a MUCH different pace than in London for sure.  Absolutely BEAUTIFUL countryside and architecture.

We stayed at one of the coolest Airbnb’s EVER.  It was a converted old schoolhouse and done absolutely perfectly.  Like something out of Architectural Digest!  Linked HERE

For dinner we drove 30 mins on the crazy skinny, windy roads of Cotswolds to the restaurant at the Double Red Duke.  

It had an AMAZING ambiance, like something out of a movie.  Amazing food.  Awesome service.

Dec 19 – Day 5

Woke up and drove into Oxford to visit friends and walk all around the Oxford campus and downtown.  

Highlights were the Turf & Tavern (CS Lewis and Tolkien’s old hang out), the gorgeous architecture of Oxford’s campus and some mulled wine at a local pub. We got some fish & chips and then drove back to the Airbnb and relaxed.

That evening we loaded back up and drove to Blenheim Palace for Christmas at Blenheim.  We walked through the palace all decorated for Christmas and the insane light trail outside.  We were bummed to not do all the Churchill things that they normally do there, but it was still an amazing experience.  

We got more mulled wine, pizzas and hot chocolate in the fair grounds area they had set up outside. Then we did some damage in their gift shop.

Dec 20th – Day 6

Got up, packed up and drove to our friend’s home for breakfast in Clifton, about 10 minutes away.  Yet another charming Cotswolds town.  

From there we drove through the GORGEOUS countryside to Bath.  WOW.  Just magical.  We made a stop in Bibury, a BEAUTIFUL little town, and got tea and yummy sandwiches at their coffee shop, Twig.  We walked around a bit and drove through the countryside full of INSANE estates and family history that we Americans cannot comprehend.

Later we drove through Bath to get to our Airbnb on the top of Bathwick Hill.  What an amazing view!  And an epic hike to and from town (I seriously LOVED IT)!

We unpacked and walked down to town, and found an EPIC, completely inconspicuous steakhouse under the gorgeous Pulteney Bridge called The Herd. TOTALLY recommend!!

After dinner we walked the bridge and along the river surrounded by stunning architecture, grabbed some snacks at the Waitrose, and hiked back up to our Airbnb to watch Mean Girls.

Dec 21st – Day 7

By this day we were ready for a slow morning, so we slept in, got ready, and walked back down into town.

We made our way to The Pump Room at the Roman Baths for a high tea.  The piano player was playing Christmas music and the champagne was flowing.  For sure make a reservation here. It is a great spot to get to see the baths in town and not have to buy a ticket into the museum area.  Plus you get AMAZING towers of crustless finger sandwiches, scones & pastries and yummy teas.  It’s an all around win!

From there we walked through the easily walkable town of Bath, bought some souvenirs and saw the Circus (which is famous in so many movies).

We grabbed an early dinner at Sally Lunn’s, Bath’s OLDEST restaurant in Bath’s oldest house and got their famous Bath buns.  None of us were fans, but it was a cool local historical experience. 

That evening we walked back through town, got some gelato, and then headed back up the hill to our Airbnb to watch Joe Dirt haha.

Dec 22nd – Day 8

Our second-to-last day we got up, packed, and made breakfast at the house, complete with Streaky Rashers…AKA, bacon.

After breakfast we loaded the car and drove 45 mins to Stonehenge. THIS WAS A MUST DO.  On the drive there we found a great podcast that told us all about the theories of Stonehenge and the INSANE facts about its history and whereabouts, which made being there even more amazing.  

The feeling there is eerie…in a good way…or bad?  I honestly cannot tell you.  All I know is that there is something too rare and magical, more than any place on earth I have been to yet.  A must visit.

From here we made the easy drive back to London Heathrow, where we stayed at the Sofitel at the airport for a couple nights, returned the car and relaxed a bit. 

I decided on a whim to drag the boys on the tube into town to go check out the British museum. I can honestly say I wish we hadn’t wasted our time, but we would not have known this if we had not visited.

 

Dec 23 – Day 9 

This was one of my highlight days. We woke up at the hotel, had breakfast and took the express tube into town to Royal Albert Hall where we saw the London Royal Symphony, Choir and the Royal Horns sing Christmas carols.  

It’s called Royal Albert Hall Christmas and it was one my favorite things we spent money on. I got us great seats in the stalls. The acoustics and architecture in there is magnificent. Truly magical.

From there we walked through the streets to Harrods and made our way through the Christmas crowds to the basement where we ate in their restaurant and had yet another incredible meal.

After that we walked around the store, went to the toy department and got the boys some goodies. We had to get on our way, although I could have spent an entire day here, but the boys would have hated me.

We took an Uber to Churchill’s war rooms (definitely make a reservation), which was for sure a highlight for Joe.  What an insane museum all about the incredible life of Churchill and the command and control center for WWII underground.  An absolute must-see!

After that we made our way, via the tube, back to the hotel at the airport where we packed up and got ready for our flight the next morning.

It was truly an incredible trip, and I think we would all love to go back someday! 

If you decide to visit, or if you’ve already been, let me know what your favorite stops were and if there’s anything we missed!  

Wishing you all the fun travels

Xoxo-

Kel

P.S. Here’s the walking tour map we followed to see all the gorgeous Christmas lights!